Impact of the Tucurui Dam on the Fishery

Impact of the Tucurui Dam on the Fishery Correspondent: We next talked to the leader of the people flooded out who we’d interviewed 15 years before. Originally, he was settled by the government’s colonization agency? Raimundo Nonato de Azevedo (Ex-President, Rural Worker’s Union): Yes. Correspondent: For 100 hectares with a government title? Raimundo: Yes. Correspondent: For 100 hectares? Raimundo: A definitive title for 100 hectares. Correspondent: But after the flood you only got 50 hectares? Raimundo: Also they did not pay us for the all the time we wasted. Correspondent: And today Electro Norte agrees. Tenyson de Matos Andrade (Production Management, Tucurui): If the company resettled the families today it wouldn’t do what it did then. Today one realizes it wasn’t adequate. Correspondent: In the great reservoir of Tucurui there are 1,600 islands. We’re going to look at the proposal to make these islands into an environmental reserve. The islands were invaded by fishermen were studied by the anthropologist Sonya Magaliase. Sonya: 62% of the people on the islands were migrants from the lower Tucantins below the dam. They had the traditional fishing ruined. No fish level was constructed with the dam and so there was a change in the fisheries. Correspondent: Below the dam the catch dropped as much as 90% but here in the reservoir there was a boom in fishing. What are you fishing for? Local: Tucunaria. Correspondent: Is it going well? Local: More or less. It’s not good because they’re setting out too many nets. Prince blame this area where there are many fish Correspondent: How many kilos of fish do you catch a day? Local: 60 to 70 some days only 30 to 20. Correspondents How many kilos have you got there? Local: Roughly 50. Correspondent: The reservoir has several ports run by fisherman’s associations where 400 tons of fish are landed every month to be sold all over the surrounding region but as the fisherman are illegal invaders of the dam company’s property, they fear they could be driven out by the dam company. How many kilos do you take away? Dealer: An average of 10 tons that’s two trucks. Yesterday the price fell here because there were so many fish. We filled 3 trucks. All this could be jeopardized if the level of the reservoir rose as a fisherman explained at the union office. Raimundo Nonato Prereira Gama: If the level went up 2 meters as they – it would be a disaster. Many would lose their farms. Raimundo Nonato Prereira Gama: Without doubt we’d have an environmental impact. Newton De Souza Affonso: If it goes to a level courted we would lose our farm and a lot of money. Correspondent: All night construction continues at the dam. The new generators to be in store here will obviously need more water since each generator requires half a million liters a second but the engineer in charge says its not this operational reasons which would raise the level of the reservoir. Alfredo Luis De Souza (Manager, Engineering Division): In normal circumstances the reservoir doesn’t rise above 72 meters but a band of flexibility is needed to cushion the more significant waves of flooding. A reserve is needed which is the difference between 72 and 74 meters so we can cushion any heavy flood water that reaches the reservoir.